Editor’s Note
This article highlights the ongoing frustration among Pokémon fans over the absence of classic Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles on the Nintendo Switch Online service. While hopes for official releases remain unfulfilled, the piece explores potential alternatives and the community’s enduring passion for these beloved games.
Until now, Pokémon fans have waited in vain: Red, Blue, and Yellow; Silver, Gold, and Crystal; Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald; FireRed and LeafGreen – none of these are available on the handheld hybrid console via Nintendo Switch Online. It’s a sad state of affairs with no change in sight: the Switch is now over seven years old, and Game Freak or The Pokémon Company show no signs of finally granting fans access to these games, which are only available second-hand at exorbitant prices. However, one Pokémon game is indeed making the leap from the Game Boy Advance to the Nintendo Switch.
From the introduction, you could likely deduce that this is unfortunately not a mainline game. Instead, thanks to Nintendo Switch Online, a title originally released on the handheld in 2001 is returning, one that enjoys its own dedicated fan base. We are, of course, talking about Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team – unfortunately without its blue counterpart, which was released on the Nintendo DS and would likely require more effort due to its dual-screen nature.
Released in 2006 for the Game Boy Advance, in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team, you don’t step into the shoes of a trainer to catch the then 386 Pocket Monsters. Instead, you transform into a Pokémon yourself. Cursed with acute amnesia and blessed with the ability to speak the language of Pokémon, you leave your human existence behind to save the world of cute creatures, which is threatened with destruction due to numerous natural disasters.
The 2020 remake released on the Nintendo Switch combines Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team into one large game and gives the graphics, which might seem dusty to some, a complete overhaul reminiscent of watercolors. Truly new content for Pokémon fans, of course, isn’t coming via Nintendo Switch Online, but next year in the form of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, about which we have already made some speculations.
Source: Twitter /@NintendoAmerica, Nintendo eShop